Module 12

Though this module was also rather dry pertaining to a majority of bookwork, I did find the discussions of censorship to be interesting. I teach in a private, Christian school and we are very particular about what we put in the library. Because of this, I can see both sides of the issues on some of the books. However, I will follow the school protocol and abstain from material that is deemed offensive. We have parent-volunteers that review books. In addition, the librarians use book reviews and do a lot of reading! We do allow our children to read "Lemony Snickets",
"Warrior" series, and "The Spiderwick Chronicles". However, we haven't permitted "Harry Potter" or books written by Pullman.

Module 11

Module 11 was rather dry and mainly pertained to vocabulary words and concepts. The most interesting part to me was on ethnic journalism. I'm always drawn to books of different ethnicities and was surprised to read the "cons" of reading about ethnic journalism.

Module 10

The highlight of this module was the literary analyses. I erroneously believed that's what we would be doing the entire semester, so I relished the time I was able to spend analyzing children's literature. Since there were no standards, I tried to pick a variety of children's books in different subject areas and grade levels. I read some amazing books!

Module 9

The highlight of this module was the draft of the book we are to write. My book is called, "A Tiger's Life". It's about my cat, Tiger, and his perception of life versus real life. It's going to be about his pursuit to protect us from dangers (our lab, Abe, and various toys that belong to the children), his pursuit of food, and the family hierarchy. As I type this, he's asleep on my legs preparing for his nocturnal endeavors. I found a picture of a cat in Microsoft Word that looks exactly like Tiger!

Module 8

I have completed my entire unit. I've created a wiki and it's address is:
http://50statesestes.pbwiki.com/

Module 7

How can I facilitate a student-centered classroom?
I feel very strongly about facilitating a student-centered classroom. First, it is imperative that the assignments are authentic, meaningful and resemble work the kids will do in real life. In addition, I must clearly outline goals and objectives. Finally, I'd like to make the work seem practical (and possibly fun!) to the kids, too.

How can I use technology to support my instructional practice?
As a business educator, I use technology in every aspect of my class. Generally, I focus on Microsoft Office, as well as Internet research. So, obviously, it's a very technology heavy class.

Module 6

How can I help my students become self-directed learners? Assisting students in becoming self-directed learners ties right in with No Child Left Behind. When we help students become self-directed we are allowing them to excel academically. We must determine how each student learns. Teachers, parents, administrators, and students must understand the concepts of student motivation, metacognition, self-efficacy, self-regulation, locus of control, and goal orientation. These concepts provide the foundation for a student seeking to become a self-directed learner. How can I support the diverse needs of learners? Diversity can come in many forms. We must determine what the student background and interests are and then we can figure out the best way to meet their needs. http://home.twcny.rr.com/hiemstra/sdlhdbk.html

Module 5

I must develop my assessment information for the project as stated in the previous activity. This will take some time, but will help the students and me in the long run. I’m getting so bogged down in some of these redundant details that I feel like I’m losing sight of the goal: helping these kids refine their goals in their subject areas. I’m finding these activities redundant and time-consuming.

The students will actively assess their project through checklists, reflective thinking and a rubric. I feel I’m giving these students the tools to create a very good unit.

Module 4

Well, I'm ready to get rolling with this project. Now that I have some of the basic knowledge, I'm anxious to begin. I often do better in a "trial and error" situation, than I do in focusing on all these preliminary plans. I feel that I am prepared to start this unit.

Module 3

Module 3 was definitely a bust! Though I found some validation in the previous units. The information was completely redundant. In addition, I have used Project Based Learning (PBL) since 1996 and this was an incomplete overview of Internet-based PBL. Hopefully, Module 4 will be more clear and concise.

Module 2

Well, I'm actively working on my presentation and am afraid it is going to be completely overwhelming to these kids. Though I think the curriculum framing questions are helpful, I think they may offer too much information. Is there such thing? I hope these kids are disciplined and open to the student-centered assessment. Hopefully, I can work out all the bugs before I work on this in real life!

Module 1

Well, I've just completed Module 1. The most difficult part of this module was determining the subject of my project. The background work was easy, but it's so hard for me to come up with a good idea! Now, I'm excited about my project. I think the State Reports will be interesting for the kids, have an abundance of information, integrate some interesting components of learning.

Though difficult, I love creating projects for my students. I think it gives them a real-world opportunity to apply skills they have learned in school. In addition to meeting the school standards, it allows them to have a little fun while learning.

Projects can be used in a multitude of situations. As a former Computer Applications instructor, I used them at the end of units to demonstrate a skill level. I hope that I'm able to use projects in the library. My first short-term projects will be familiarizing students with the layout and procedures of the library, then I hope to create a project on the Dewey Decimal System.